


Offshore & Adrift

by Tsukiko Hoshino (Ophiras)



Category: Naruto
Genre: AU, Cecaelias, Eventual Smut, F/M, Octopi are weird, Sakura just wants some legs, Sasori tried playing nice, She likes the human stuff, The Author Regrets Everything, The little mermaid but all twisted up, Wandering tentacles, its another Sasosaku no one asked for, merfolk
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-30
Updated: 2020-09-25
Packaged: 2021-03-03 21:28:36
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 18,100
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24992326
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ophiras/pseuds/Tsukiko%20Hoshino
Summary: Sakura's a mermaid half in love with a prince that denies she even exists. Sasori is Sea-Sorcerer who could make all her dreams come true for the right price, too bad he's more or less morally bankrupt and hellbent on getting what he wants: Her. As it turns out neither of them are above cheating and bending the rules when it comes to pursuing their desires.
Relationships: Haruno Sakura/Sasori, Onesided Sasusaku - Relationship
Comments: 74
Kudos: 164





	1. Fathoms Below

When the world was young and empty the gods began to fill it with a myriad of creatures great and small, as varied in size as they were in intelligence and longevity. Finding that it still lacked something they crafted man from clay, water and divine breath. Humans, as they came to be called mirrored their creators in all but the ability to pluck at the threads of magic the universe was woven with. They were prolific, exceedingly clever and the gods soon became enamored with what they had made. Their mixed blood and brood would come to fill all that laid below the firmaments of heaven, from the highest mountain to the depths of the sea. Unto their children and the kin that followed they passed the ability to shape and weave the fabric of creation by their own will.  
  
Greed of power, jealousy and violence soon followed. Humans while comparatively weak were well loved by the gods and they made up for what they lacked in power by sheer numbers combined with ingenious methods of extinction. The mythic races lived long and held deep grudges even as they were out-bred, after much bloodshed they withdrew from the world, hid themselves away until they were believed by most of mankind to be nothing more than silly stories and superstitions held by their less enlightened fellows.  
  
In the land there were nymphs and fae, nephilim and dragons asleep deep beneath rock and stone, trolls in caverns and shape-shifting creatures of every sort. Tengu’s in the forest and Asura in hidden places but It was within the waters where merfolk of every sort resided--at least until they could sprout legs and go off into the world.  
  
‘Which at this rate is never going to happen.’ Sakura thought sitting in the shallows. She counted each breath, each beat of her heart as she focused, as she pulled at the fabric of her being. The feel of the waves lapping over her fin fell away as she put all her effort into rearranging the makeup of her body. There was a moment where her scales felt too tightly stretched, her bones began to ache and the blood running through her veins was as hot as if she’d spent too much time near a magma vent.  
  
Then the scent of magic was like a storm rolling in, clouds and all. Risking a glance, Sakura peeked through one eye and burst into a grin. Legs, knees and ankles free of scales greeted her gaze. “So far so good.” All she had to do was get up and walk. Rolling onto her stomach, she settled on her knees, arms supporting most of her weight as she attempted to get her feet beneath her. ‘Ino always makes it look so easy...’ she wobbled, searching for balance on weak and fresh limbs as she rose to stand. “Ha!” she cheered, toes wiggling in wet sand. There was an ache but nothing she couldn’t withstand.  
  
“All that fuss just to stand in the swash.”  
  
A droll voice interrupted her concentration and elected a long drawn hiss from beyond Sakura’s teeth as she followed with her eyes where the voice had come from.  
  
Hair as red as coral and dressed like he were human Sasori sat on a smooth beaten rock further along the shore. The only indication that he was something other than he appeared were the obsidian dark, wickedly sharp claws he had chosen to leave on display as they bit into the flesh of a pomegranate. She made quite a sight, thigh length tresses wet and clinging to her shoulders and back. Besides the tiny scrap of thinly woven byssus silk she wore wrapped from neck and over her breasts, Sakura was bare. For one of their kind she had always been unduly modest but ignorance of her current state left her standing in the open.  
  
The deep curve of her hip remained the same, even when it was no longer thatched with green and gold but the vulnerable parts of her that were typically hidden behind seamless scales and sinew were displayed much easier as she now stood. Following the path of her navel to the apex of her thighs Sasori’s eyes might have lingered a bit too long as the juices dripped from his biting fingers.  
  
Something in the way that he looked at her made Sakura want to scuttle back into the water and out of sight. Sasori’s eyes seemed to have a weight all their own as they dragged the length of her. ‘But if I go back then it will all be for nothing.’ And this was the furthest she had gotten in years of trying. What she attempted next was less of a step and more of an awkward sidle, too afraid to take either feet off the ever-shifting ground.  
  
Sasori made a sound like a scoff and she nearly pitched face-forward into wet sand. “What are you even doing here?” She’d come to the middle of nowhere to practice away from the eyes of others. The faint ache Sakura had been able to tolerate was growing by the second. ‘Not good.’ It meant that her transformation was coming undone by the second and no matter how hard she tried to re-grasp the wisps of it they fled from her. It was always the same every time she tried, she could go longer each time but it never lasted long enough to truly get anywhere.  
  
“Gathering materials,” He replied, head tilting as he took in the changing expression on her face. “You’re coming undone, you should head back.” Sasori could not see it at first but he could feel it like chaos in the air. For all Sakura’s talents it seemed there were still things beyond her, It was odd to watch her struggle at something he found so simple when he knew the power and intellect she possessed matched his own. She was the one who had broken one of his nastier curses a few years ago and while surprising at the time he was more than appreciative of her prowess. Life had been boring without challenge, without the match he met in Sakura...  
  
Who was currently on her knees, fingers digging furrows in the sand. Her voice, which he found beautiful whether it was singing incantations leagues under the waves or rambling aimlessly, was now just a flurry of pained cries as she folded in on herself, knees and thighs pressing together. Sasori found no pleasure in the sound of it or the sight of her in needless pain. ‘For all her delicate finesse in everything else Sakura is all force when it comes to herself.’ It would not do for her to lay beached up on the shore as she was for seagulls and whatever else to come pick at her.  
  
Sakura had chosen to practice in a cove; the way from the sea was guarded by rocks so narrowly spaced and sharp that for all but a rowboat or a swimmer approach was impossible, behind them was a steep cliff face that made the descent difficult for most--but the island _did_ have a population of humans and they were nothing if not intrepid. ‘And it would be such a hassle if I had to kill them.’ Sakura would complain that he could have hypnotized them--which would have been true if Sasori were so inclined. ‘It would be petty but I would _hate_ to let them live.’

Humans had their uses, he held a fondness for their ticking clocks and other such instruments but as he did with most of his own kind, he found the vast majority of them to be worthless, annoying and in the habit of congregating in too great a number where they were not wanted. ‘And seeing her so...vulnerable in more ways than one would be _very_ unwanted.’  
  
It was like every scrap of Sakura’s being screamed. Her joints ached and the skin she had been so excited to see itched something awful as it began to scale. Even if she wanted to she couldn’t move, the pain had mounted so quickly far worse than it had been at the start. Her body curled in on itself, muscles seizing as she rode through what felt like swimming through an electrical current.  
  
The rock Sasori had been sitting on was left behind, fruit tossed out to sea. He had more to spare and the matter at hand took precedence. The backlash running rampant through her body made Sakura writhe against the arms that meant to help her. The pretty legs that she had been so proud of fused, organs shifted and by the time he was knee deep in the water, Sakura’s fanned tail was skimming the surf.  
  
Something beyond the pain began to seep into her sense of self, low-toned humming, warmth beneath her cheek as the sound reverberated through her, tugging and unknotting the jumbled magic left in the wake of an unstrung transformation. There was a foreign scent Sakura could not define, other than innately knowing it came from the lands she could not walk she categorized it as being some sort of spice--barrels of it often left behind in shipwrecks. Eyes easing open, it took her a moment of dazed blinking to realize that it was Sasori making the noise and that her ear was pressed against his chest.  
  
Practically in his lap with her tail coiled beneath her, Sakura could feel what under laid the sound as Sasori’s power worked with intent, threading through her and soothing the knotted mess she had left behind.  
  
It was odd.  
  
Sakura could not necessarily refer to him as an enemy. ‘Well...not anymore...’ In the past they had certainly found themselves on opposite ends in a variety of situations--their kingdoms had once been opposing factions even if Sasori considered himself a neutral party in pursuit of his own interests. The blood in his veins carried with it royalty and a prodigious line of sorcery, he was without a doubt one of the best of their time if not beyond. ‘The only trouble is he is completely self motivated…’ All that he did was for his own gain or entertainment. Those who could not weave spells or create concoctions came to him often in desperation or for nefarious purposes others would not indulge in.  
  
Humans, the rare sort that believed in their kind and others of their god-descended ilk who knew his name could invoke him. ‘But if he comes to call there is always a steep price to pay.’ A favor here, a whisper there, a priceless treasure or seemingly impossible feat to be completed without knowledge of forethought to what Sasori’s ultimate goal might be. The threads he threw out were vast and interwoven, the image unseen to any but him. ‘As for those that couldn’t pay the price...there are worse things than death.’ Sakura thought with a shudder.  
  
While much of what Sasori was purported to have done was frowned upon, none of it was strictly against their laws and thus he was left to his own devices, which could not be characterized as charitable or even particularly ethical.  
  
Years ago Sakura had unwound the curse he’d placed at the behest of some spurned, aggrieved nymph who later wept with guilt at what she had done. The sight of someone she once loved rotting away before her eyes had been too much for her to bear and she had come seeking someone to undo it. ‘And it wasn’t easy.’ It had taken many, many hours and Sakura had ached afterwards--magic, especially when it was strong could strain the body and the mind. Sasori had come looking for the one who had broken the spell and voided his contract not long after.  
  
‘There are a lot of things one can say about him, but I have never found Sasori to be a poor loser.’ Disbelieving at first, mocking at turns but their run-ins had continued to mount. ‘Lately it feels like he is everywhere I turn.’ Their encounters these days were less combative in nature if one were to exclude the teasing Sasori often engaged in whatever fighting they did was generally verbal debating over one subject or another. She might have called him a friend if not for his enigmatic nature. ‘It's just the way that he looks at me sometimes, as if he has plans of his own.’ As to what they were Sakura couldn’t begin to guess and had stopped trying. ‘There is no use in fighting against a current.’ She enjoyed his company enough not to take too much offense, especially when he indulged her interests.  
  
Whenever he came back from land he always carried some trinket he later deemed useless and left it in her hands and they were always beautiful. One of her favorites was an oval casket that contained two miniature figures that whirled about when opened, the gears and cylinders within on display, ticking as they danced to the tune that was played. ‘And then there are the books!’ So many, magicked so that they wouldn’t dissolve into nothingness that she read over and over head full of questions. ‘Like if their horses look anything like our seahorses…’ Sasori had a rather rare laugh at her expense when she asked about that but had never quite answered. ‘And I am certainly not going to ask Ino ever since that last time...’ she huffed. ‘At least he was quiet about it and didn’t tell everyone we collectively know.’  
  
It bothered Sakura that she had to rely on others for any scrap of information or morsel from land rather than seeking it for herself. ‘Its pathetic. There are so many things that I excel at...why can't transforming be one of them?’ The hand that had been resting at her neck, thumbing her pulse had shifted to skimming the curve of her shoulder. She was startled by the realization that she had not only been leaning against him as she thought but instinctively humming the tune back at him, rubbing her cheek where it had rested. What followed that was a bit of ungraceful flailing as she tried to recover some dignity--of course that only ended up sending her wheeling backwards with a wet slap and spray of liquid.  
  
The cool water rinsed the heat from her face and beyond the rippling surface Sakura could see Sasori looking down at her, shoulders hitching into a sigh as he raked the water she had splashed over him through his hair. ‘Whoops.’ She took a measure of amusement from the sight but then as she thought about it Sakura felt a little guilty. ‘He was already half soaked from carrying me back into the sea…’ Sasori could have left her to crawl in on her own when she finally got a hold of herself, she might have garnered a case of sunburn and dry scales. ‘Provided nothing dangerous came along...like a crocodile. Or a seagull. The last time I fell asleep on a beach I woke up to one of those winged-plagues pecking at my head.’ And ripping strands of her hair out to make a nest of. It wasn’t even worth the effort of eating after she'd smacked it with a rock...repeatedly.  
  
Sakura popped her head above the surface. “Thank you.”   
  
“Well, it _would_ be a shame if some human came along and decided to chop you into bits and feed you to all their friends in an erroneous attempt at gaining immortality.”  
  
“That's just some old superstitious story.” Sakura mumbled, slinking low enough that her words turned to bubbles.  
  
Catching a handful of the anemone pink hair that floated up to the surface, Sasori tsked. “That, dear girl is exactly what most humans say about us.” His fingers hit a snare as they combed methodically through the tresses. “Didn’t anyone ever tell you that humans aren’t the only creatures you have to fear? Wyvern, Oni, and Blood Fiends...the world is full of creatures that would love to eat you up.”  
  
The snag pulled at her scalp. “I think you might be more frightening than all of them.” Sakura pouted.  
  
“That just shows how smart you are.” Sasori smirked, fingers working at the stubborn knot. “ And since you’re so clever you know the safest place is with the most dangerous beast.”  
  
Every pull left her feeling like a fish being reeled in by a hook. Reaching into the cloth that bound her chest she pulled a dull piece of metal out. “You’re making it worse! Stop pulling on it and use this.”  
  
Sasori looked from the bit of metal she brandished and back to her after a pause. “A fork? What else are you keeping in there?” He leaned closer, studying the thin textile that offered a modicum of coverage.  
  
“None of your business! And it's not a fork, it's a _dinglehopper_ .” Sakura corrected, almost impaling his eye as she waved it about. “Naruto told me humans use it for hair.”  
  
It was plucked from her grasp, his fingers trailing her hand as he went. “Naruto is an idiot. _This_ is a fork.” he tapped the blunt curve against her nose.  
  
Sakura blinked, looking from him to the utensil in question. “It's still for hair, right?”  
  
“Not even close.” Sasori’s lips twitched at the way her shoulders slumped and her mumbling about that friend of hers with the obnoxious orange fin, comparing him to a clown-fish was perfectly accurate in his opinion. Tapping a finger against the prongs, Sakura puffed her cheeks before asking about its actual purpose. “Stabbing things.” he replied, unwilling or unable to stop the fond glint he knew lurked within his eyes. ‘If only you would pay attention.’ 

  
Lips parted into a gasp, Sakura stole back the instrument and pressed it to her chest. “It's a weapon!” Now that she thought about it, she _was_ reminded of a miniature trident.  
  
“Well...It could be.” Sasori smirked, turning to the bag at his side. “I think you will find humans have the same mindset as us when it comes to hair care.” He unwrapped a comb from the cloth it had been stored in. There were a variety of spells overlaying it, one was a ward against decay and the elements that might besiege it. “They don’t differ all that much from us on that front.” He explained, sliding the golden teeth through tangled strands. The knots and snares came undone easily beneath his ministrations just the benefit of another spell.  
  
Sakura’s eyes fluttered shut and her head canted in his direction with a sigh. Her grip on the fork loosened and it fell back into the waters with a plop. ‘It always feels better when someone else brushes it.’ Out of the water, or half out of it her hair was long and felt too heavy. She’d been considering the benefits of just chopping it off for some time but had yet to commit to the act. “How do you think I would look with short hair?”  
  
Stopping his task to evaluate the question Sasori replied after a moment of thought; “Awful.” He was not perturbed by the glare her eyes threw his way. “It's fine as it is.” Knots gone he pressed the comb into her palm. “I think you’ll find it easier to care for when you’re not using a fork.” it wasn’t like their kind lacked combs and brushes of their own, but they were typically carved from whale bone or different types of coral.  
  
The afternoon sun was caught in the facets of the shining stones arranged in varying shades of green, from almost black to emerald hues. At the center there was a bright cluster of red in the shape of a flower and tiny pearls seeded about the crest of the accessory, among the mimicked leaves. “How pretty.” she sighed, lashes set low over her eyes in admiration.   
  
“Mm.” Sasori agreed, his gaze only ever on her, from how her hair draped over her body to the way that her wrist twisted, palm up to return what he had given. Deflecting the hand that made to return what he offered freely, what only existed for her sake.  
  
‘There is no point in quibbling with him about it. Even if I insist on giving it back I’ll just find it laying around somewhere a week from now. He is odd like that.’ Truthfully, as beautiful as it was, the longer she looked at it the more disappointed in herself Sakura felt. Useless tears that meant nothing to the salty sea welled within her eyes. “I’m never going to walk on land.” she complained, fingering each tooth of the comb.  
  
“The more desperate you are, the further success will flee from you.” The process and timing was different for everyone. Sometimes they were born on land and had to learn the waters later in life. “You’ll walk in your own time.” Sasori understood perfectly well the difficulties one faced when they were impatient and full of want. “Desire entices but desperation makes what you covet flee.” It was a fine line to tread and he knew it all too well.  
  
Sakura just couldn’t figure out what she was doing wrong. ‘Ino said it was no big deal...And it only took Naruto a month of trying.’ It was beginning to feel like something was wrong with her, like there was no hope. “I’ve been trying everyday…”  
  
“Perhaps that's part of the problem.” With every failure to perform to her own level of expectations Sakura was becoming disgruntled and fatigued, doubt like a weight dragging her down.  
  
“Easy for you to say.” She grumbled. From what Sakura had heard, he’d been walking on land since he was a child. ‘And I’m what, 200 years and I can barely crawl out of the water.’ Her teeth sunk into her lip.  
  
Sasori tugged the errant strand clinging to her forehead. “Not particularly. There are plenty of things I don’t wish to wait for.” His finger trailed the curve of her cheek as an idea came to mind. “You could always strike a bargain with me...” Pink lips parted in shock and she sputtered.  
  
“W-we’re not supposed to have help!” Sakura looked completely scandalized, dragging her eyes up to meet his. To their kind going on land was a rite of passage, it was meant to be undertaken by one's own merits. A wide, fervent gleam in his eyes made her breath catch as she was once more reminded how wicked he could be. “..could it really be done?” She had never been much of a rule breaker but she was not beyond temptation.  
  
“Of course I _could_ do it. We both know I’ve never minded breaking the rules for the right incentives.” Sasori teased, the corner of his mouth quirked as he pinched her cheek. “And no one but the two of us would ever have to know.”  
  
Worrying at her bottom lip she squished the ugly ambition that began to swell. “Well, I’m not that desperate!” Sakura humphed, crossing her arms and raising her nose to the air. ‘Patience is a virtue.’ It was a mantra she’d repeated more times than she wished to count.  
  
“If you say so dear.” Sasori replied, pleased enough that she was no longer looking as though she would add enough tears to deepen the sea. Indignation was easier for him to navigate. “But if you should change your mind…”  
  
Sakura spent most of the daylight hours she had left insisting she was not interested in what he had to offer at all. By the time they parted company clouds had begun to roll in, thick and grey enough to blot out the sinking sun.  
  
“There will be a storm tonight.” Sasori foretold as the plain white shirt he’d been wearing dissolved into foam, dispersing among the surf as he sunk to a deeper depth. Sakura could feel tendrils sleeker than silk flutter about her tail, brushing against her front plate and then they shifted, suckers grasping her as they slid down the length of her tail. Half choking she gasped down a mouthful of water--a wave breaking over her face.  
  
Flushed from shoulders to cheekbones Sakura counted a few seconds off in her head before diving down. Cecaelia tentacles had a habit of wandering about to investigate whatever was in the vicinity if their owner wasn’t paying particular attention. ‘And they like to stick to things they find interesting.’ She’s seen it often enough especially in young ones, their suckers coiling and rolling over rocks, fish, or even people. Mapping out the surfaces before they were even aware of it, they could even taste through their limbs. ‘It's just…’ That particular touch had been close to a very improper place, the almost seamless, camouflaged slit several inches below her abdomen. “You…!”  
  
Sasori turned from where he’d been gliding along, red hair wreathing his face from the motion. “Yes?” His expression was sedate; lips slack, lashes hung over his eyes. He didn’t look bothered at all.  
  
Shivering for no reason at all she continued, “You...er...uh…Tentacles...” Sakura shifted, both hands grasping fistfuls of her hair. ‘If I tell him that he…’ They were the same in nature despite their obvious physical differences, telling him to watch where he touched should have been simple but It would be _awkward_ \--it already was as she floated there, stumbling about her words. The blush she’d fought off earlier returned full force. “The comb! Thank you.” she snapped at last and hurried away, the fixated gaze that followed her retreat unnoticed.  
  
Later, as she was laying on the copse of sea sponges that made up her bed, Sakura pulled the comb from where she had tucked it into her top. Her newest acquisition gave off a faint glow of its own, spells she had yet to figure out pulsing under her fingers. Even the taste of the fruit Sasori had shared with her before they parted company lingered on her tongue. The sun had long fallen but the ocean around her was not quite dark. Just like the heavens above had stars, the ocean had uncountable pinpricks of light.  
  
Humming the tune that the music box was playing from its place on an outcropping, Sakura ignored the voice speaking to her and gazed at the spiraling shelves of her grotto. They were cluttered with items from the surface, pottery and empty bottles in several shapes and hues, castaway trunks filled with odd bits and ends. Books and bric-a-brac were cluttered about, there was even a large, towering thing with 12 numbers etched over its surface. ‘A clock I think…’ but it no longer ticked. There were even things she didn’t even know the name of and had resorted to calling thingamabobs out of convenience.  
  
Naruto whined and cozied up to her side. “Aw come on, don’t ignore me anymore! I told you I forgot it was called a fork!” he insisted for the seventh time. “And what it was for.”  
  
“Personally I thought dinglehopper sounded better...” Sai intoned, looking through the box that contained a dozen of the utensils. His tentacles looked as if they’d been dipped into ink, patterns shifting lazily, oscillating between grey and black.  
  
Sakura turned to her left flank and swooped Naruto off her perch with the flick of her tail. “Hmph.” She’d been combing her hair with that thing like an idiot for months.  
  
“I mean what's the big deal? It worked on your hair fine, Dattebayo. Look!” He snatched a fork from the case Sai had been perusing and began to fluff his hair with it, wincing as he hit a snag and ripped out a few golden hairs. “Okay so it's not uh, perfect…” It felt like scraping his head against a barnacle and he ended up creating tangle.  
  
“Keep going,” Sakura grumbled. “Do you know how much hair I probably lost thanks to you?” Not to mention the blow to her pride. ‘He probably thinks I have the brains of a starfish now.’ She flipped to her other side restlessly. She hated that she kept embarrassing herself. ‘Especially in front of Sasori--if I keep flubbing up like this he won't respect me anymore.’ She liked how things were between them, even if she was always pondering what went on behind Sasori’s carefully crafted demeanor and words. ‘Even though he _is_ an unrepentant scoundrel.’  
  
Sai, eager to help, turned to raking a fork against Naruto’s scalp. “We can finish faster with two,” he explained to the struggling blonde. “And then she’ll forgive you.” he hated it when they fought. ‘I am an orphan but I imagine this is what children feel like when their parents argue.’  
  
“That hurts! I’ll have a bald spot if you keep it up!” Naruto cried and the two of them fumbled about taking turns poking and stratching one another until they bumped into one of the walls and knocked over a mirror. It fell slowly, soft sand and silt scattering in its wake.  
  
Sakura made a noise of discontent, tucked her fixation back into her silk covering and moved to tidy up. “Be careful.” she huffed, propping the reflective surface back where it had come from, only to see a crack stroked across its glass, distorting the image before her. “Oh…” Her shoulders slumped.  
  
“...Well it's almost an improvement?” Sai stuffed the fork he’d been holding into Naruto’s hand. The forlorn slant of her lips filled him with guilt and the teasing nickname he’d been about to utter shriveled on his lips. ”I’ll bring you a new one.”  
  
All that did was remind her once more how far behind everyone else she was. “It's just not fair,” Sakura mumbled, lips tremblings. “When's it my turn? What would I give…” to be out of the sea, if only for one day, to learn the things that everyone else seemed to know. ‘I could…’ Sasori had offered it to her.  
  
“It's not even that great up there!” Naruto fretted, biting the pad of his thumb. Sakura’s anger was easier to face than her crying. ‘Crying lasts longer.’ If she were mad, it would come and go in a flash--usually of her tail smacking someone in the face. “Well, I mean the noodles are nice...but you have to have money for that, dattebayo! Some human chased me off with a ladle the first time I couldn't pay.” And it had hurt.  
  
Whatever Sakura had meant to say was cut off by a great boom from the surface. For a moment she thought it might have been thunder from the coming storm but glancing up she got a glimpse of something red and blue rippling across the top opening of her den. “Oh.” her eyes went wide and before she knew it she was swimming to investigate, ignoring the calls behind her. The sound was louder when she breached the surface, the bursting colors brighter as they popped and illuminated the ship sailing slowly over dark, choppy waters.  
  
“Hey, wait!” Naruto called after her, but Sakura’s ears were focused on the music she could hear coming from the vessel. She followed after the ship, crossing the distance easily and clambored her way up the side, arms full of wiry strength. ‘Oh damn.’ the blonde thought, and began to shake his ink-haired buddy. “Do something! ...What if they haul her up there and club her or something, dattebayo.”  
  
“I’d be more worried about them.” Sai replied unblinking, one of his slim tentacles slapped against Naruto’s face as it searched for distance. “How am I supposed to do anything when you’re holding onto me?”  
  
“Ow!” and the two of them went right back to squabbling.  
  
Peeking from behind an opening in the railing, Sakura got her first good look at humans in their natural habitat. ‘Or somewhat natural.’ She supposed as the ship was on the sea and they had made it. The music was louder now and many of them were hopping from one leg to the other in time with the beat, an impossible feat for her since she had no feet. Her eyes were drawn to an outlier, leaning against the mast with dark hair and pale skin. His face was stern as he watched the festivities, arms crossed over his chest.  
  
“Don’t be such a sourpuss Sasuke!” The one speaking also had dark hair but it was short and curled, skin tanned from days in the sun.  
  
“Shisui, You never know when the sea will turn, we should be prepared at all times.” Sasuke hated the ocean. It took him days to stop feeling queasy and shipwrecks were common enough that it wasn’t outside the realm of possibility he might find himself involved in one.  
  
‘Pragmatic and handsome.’ Sakura thought, chin dropping into the crook of her elbow as she watched the exchange with rapture. Her heart seemed to throb the more she looked at him and she was no stranger to good looks.  
  
“We’ve had a long trip and a safe harbor is almost in sight. The crew is eager to celebrate Little Brother.”  
  
“They ought to wait until they are actually _in_ safe harbor.” Sasuke complained.  
  
“Speaking of celebrating...You’re going to be a married man in a year's time Itachi! Now we just need to get this little duckling down the aisle.” Shisui teased, locking the youngest of their trio under his arm and mussing his hair.  
  
Itachi smiled faintly. “Mother would be relieved to see both of us settling down.” He was already marrying quite late in her opinion.   
  
Scowling as he fought down the red staining his cheeks, Sasuke flipped Shisui over his shoulder. “You’re old, you get married first.”  
  
‘And how strong he is!’ Sakura’s eyes went wide and gleamed from her hidden spot, giggles muffled by the flesh of her arm.  
  
“I would but I’m waiting for a harem of beautiful mermaids.” Shisui sighed melodramatically and swept the legs right out from under Sasuke, he went tumbling to the wooden floor beside him.  
  
Sasuke rolled his eyes. “They don’t exist.” And even if they did he wasn’t sure how that would work. ‘They’d probably be slimy and cold, just like fish.’ There wasn’t much he liked about the ocean but wherever his brother went he wanted to follow, even on a long, miserable voyage to visit some foreign kingdom. “And even if they did they wouldn’t want anything to do with _you_ .”  
  
Pouting because she very much _did_ exist, Sakura humphed.  
  
Itachi’s head turned briefly glancing down where the rails met the deck,seeing nothing but dark sea, his brows knit. ‘I could have sworn I heard a woman.’ Which was impossible considering there were none on board. He’d gotten used to the rocking that came with their method of travel, but it felt as though it had picked up in veracity. He coughed into a scrap of cloth and the men at his feet exchanged worried glances.  
  
“Hey! a man has to have a dream, don’t rain on mine.” Shisui complained, blinking up at the sky when a drop of liquid pelted him in the forehead.  
  
The wind began to gust and the music fell to silence, thunder shaking them from their merrymaking. Great white sails were pulled taunt as rain began to pound down furiously from the dark sky.  
  
“Hurricane!” Someone shouted and the crew scattered to their posts. Sasuke may have hated the sea, but he hated feeling helpless and had made it his business to learn something about ships and sailing. All hands were needed in a storm, his included.  
  
Sakura watched as the men began to scurry about, screaming of lines and rigging as they pulled at ropes and climbed as high as they could. Her claws left scratches in the wood as she scrambled to hold on to the listing boat and keep her focus on the human. ‘Sasuke.’ she recalled the name, fear seizing her as the waves grew worse, they towered over the ship, crashing into it and nearly washed men overboard in the crest.  
  
There was a crack and a long bolt of lightning arced over the ship, striking the main mast and setting it aflame. The light and sound shocked her and Sakura’s grip loosened, sending her back into the water below. By the time she’d gathered her wits and risen back to the surface, the ship was further from sight, blown off course and slamming head on into a massive rock. The mast collapsed, burning bright and her heart pounded frightfully as she watched Sasuke’s figure darting through the flames.  
  
Men were fleeing the deck, deciding they would rather face the furious waters below then whatever awaited them on their damaged vessel. The little boats they had clambered into were tossed about and try as she might, Sakura could not see Itachi or Shisui among them. ‘They must still be up there.’ And Sasuke was looking for them. There was a shout and another boom, flaming bits of the ship were blown outwards and upwards, spreading everywhere but through the smoke and bright lights she could see three figures being flung out with all the rest. Their bodies hit the water all at once and she swam in their direction.  
  
Unconscious and stunned they sunk down, Sakura grabbed the first one she could lay hands on and pulled him back to the surface, draping his prone form on a wide piece of wood. There was no time to think about who was who, the longer the other two stayed in the water, the more likely it was they would die. The next one she grasped by the collar and launched them towards air, twisting them to lay face up to the sky. ‘Just wait and stay like that...’ His hair was long, spread out behind his head. ‘The one who called Sasuke brother.’ she recalled, eyes flitting back towards the last body drifting towards the sea floor.  
  
Even in the dark, with the red glow of flames behind her, Sakura could make out every detail of his face, His dark eyes were open but empty and no bubbles drifted from his lips. Her chest constricted like eels were squeezing it. ‘It's not too late!’ she could still hear the beating of his pulse as she drew near. Pressing the palm of her hand to his chest Sakura sent a jolt of magic through him, forcing his lungs to expel what water they had breathed in and sealed her lips over his. She breathed for him until their heads were out of the water.  
  
Placing Sasuke on the board next to the first one she had grabbed, Sakura collected Itachi's drifting body and propped it inbetween the other two. ‘Well they’re all alive…’ And the surf was calming, rain slowing. The little boats that the rest of the men had vacated to were nowhere to be seen and she was left with three men and no idea what to do with them. ‘There is a place where humans frequent not far from here…’ It was the same place Naruto liked to go when he walked the shores. Scowling to herself when Shisui began to slip back into the sea, Sakura popped him back onto the makeshift raft. “Stop that and stay.” He did, but then Sasuke began to slope downwards.  
  
A length of rope floated by and Sakura slapped the water. “Aha!” She used her sharp teeth to cut it into more manageable lengths and then tied the humans and the piece of wood together. “There.” She sighed and rolled her shoulder, preparing for the long haul to shore--completely forgetting about Naruto and Sai who were leagues behind her, full of worry as they watched the burning wreckage. The cargo she carried stayed silent and slept through their rescue, which was a bit of a relief because Sakura, though interested in humans, _was_ somewhat concerned with how they would react to waking up lashed to a piece of wood being pushed by a mermaid.  
  
It was lucky for everyone that she had more stamina and strength in her arms than most mermaids because it was just as the clouds had rolled off and dawn broke that she managed to drag the three of them onto shore. Arms aching and stretched out over the beach, Sakura breathed deeply for a few moments. It was earlier enough that most humans were still asleep and she needed a brief respite; Her whole body ached, but she knew not to linger too long no matter how exhausted she was. Twisting to her side after she stopped hearing her heart in her ears, Sakura cut through the ropes binding the men she’d rescued and checked them over.  
  
‘This one is missing a whatchamacallit…’ Whatever the thing humans wore on their feet were called, Shisui was missing his left one and his ankle was swollen, turning black and blue. Her fingers ghosted over the limb and the color faded as she hummed a familiar tune to herself.  
  
“Pretty mermaids…” Shisui sighed to himself, wrapping his wet arms around his torso.  
  
Moving about on land with a tail was annoying on most days, but Sakura was especially tired and felt like a fat, ungainly seal as she flopped herself next to Itachi. His hair was tangled against his face and she took a moment to slick it back, noting the similarity between the three men. On the surface everything about him seemed fine but her ears caught the sound of something rattling inside of him with every breath he took.  
  
Pressing an ear and a hand to his chest, she frowned. ‘Is that normal for them?’ She prodded his body with magic and hissed baring her teeth at what came back. ‘A foul thing.’ A disease, not a curse but it might as well have been one with the damage it had done and would continue to do. ‘Just a little bit…’ She has to conserve some strength just to make it off shore, the best she could do at that moment was give him several more years rather than the short number she predicted he would have if left untreated. Sakura’s absent minded humming shifted, turning to purposeful vocalizations as her power grabbed hold of the damaged, infected tissue in his blood and lungs. At her will it was abraded and purified, replacing the rot with something new and healthy.  
  
Itachi stiffened, coughing and choking after a few moments beneath her hand. Sakura turned him to his side, watching as he spat out mouthfuls of red and pale green mucus.

‘ And now you...’ she thought with a sigh and shimmied up against Sasuke, his face was stern even in sleep. ‘And heroic...He went back for them when he could have found safety...’ A tired smile broke over her face as she traced a finger along his nose and lips, admiring the strength in his jaw. There was a cut over his temple that like Shisui’s leg was darkly mottled with bruising and she pressed her lips to it briefly, feeling it knit shut. Her head dropped against his shoulder, desperately wishing to shut her eyes. ‘Wouldn’t it be nice if i could just stay here...’  
  
“Sakura!” A voice called from far away and her head jerked up, the sleep that had been creeping over her driven away as she caught sight of Naruto waving at a distance.  
  
“Mm…” Itachi rasped, having coughed his throat hoarse in his unconscious state. His eyes opened, squinting at the sun. Unlike his brother and Shisui he was terribly nearsighted without glasses and could only see a blur of pink and green when he turned his head in the direction of whoever he had heard singing moments ago. “H-hello?” Shisui was an arms length away, mumbling about mermaids and pretty voices. He reached out and swatted at the other man, rousing him from his unconscious stupor.  
  
Sakura stiffened and exhaustion bled into adrenaline as she hurried deeper into the water.  
  
“Wah?” Shisui whined, turning onto his side, eyes clenched tight. A second hit made him lurch up, eyes popping open to stare out to sea. ‘The hell?’ He could have sworn he saw an emerald-gold hued fluke rising out of the waters but he blinked and it was gone. Glancing towards Itachi, his head tilted to the side as he picked something off the man’s shirt. “This is not your hair...or mine.” It was exceedingly long and _pink_ of all things.  
  
Its not like Naruto to lecture people, he’s done enough stupid things in his life. ‘But its one thing for me to do something stupid, its another for Sakura to do something dumb and dangerous.’ It just wasn’t like her. “What were you thinking? You had Sai worried sick! Look at how gray he is, dattebayo! You could have been caught or something!” Humans weren’t all wonderful _all_ the time, even if he didn’t believe they were as bad as some believed.  
  
“He’s always that color.” Sakura sunk into the sea grass, eyes shut tight. She thought about Sasuke and when he would wake. ‘Did he see me at all?’ his brother had...  
  
“That's true, I am.” Sai said a frown marring as he scuttled across the sea floor. His tentacles brushed over her back but drew no response. “And I was worried...” But Sakura did not reply because she was already fast asleep.  
  
It wasn’t hard to see that something had changed in her in the days that followed, Sakura sighed and giggled to herself, picking the leaves off kelp as she mumbled. Sometimes she blushed or moped about for no conceivable reason and everyone was beginning to take notice.  
  
“What is up with her?” Tsunade squinted at her former apprentice, watching as the pink haired mermaid twisted about hands pressed to her cheeks, nearly tumbling off the bench she’d been lazing on.  
  
Sasori followed her line of sight, expression faintly pinched as the same question came to mind. “Is she ill?”  
  
Ino shrugged, flipping her arms up towards the surface. “Isn’t it clear? She ‘s in love. New earrings, the listless behavior, dreamy eyes..” She ticked off the symptoms with her fingers. There was a fraction of a second that she caught a glimpse of something Sasori had not meant for anyone to see; hope, confusion.  
  
“With who?” Tsunade’s brows rose higher. ‘If it were this guy I would have known about it…’ Sasori would probably have a marriage ceremony underway the day after Sakura realized and accepted his feelings.  
  
There was a pause as Ino shifted uncomfortably. ‘Way to put me in a hot spot.’ she thought miserably. “A human...I think.” It wasn’t exactly taboo but it wasn’t widespread either. There was a clear divide between their two kinds even if they could be physically compatible. Tsunade probably knew it best of all. Her husband had been human and he had died an early death--taken from the world all too easily. ‘And even if he had lived to an old age, she would have stayed young and outlived him by many years…’  
  
“What a pity.” The last Senju murmured. ‘With luck, perhaps it's just a crush.’ She didn’t wish the pain she’d felt after Dan departed on anyone, much less Sakura. “How did she even meet one? she can’t walk on land.”  
  
“Saved him from that storm a few days ago according to Sai.” Ino explained and her blood ran cold when she caught sight of Sasori’s face. He was always a bit intimidating. ‘But that look…’ even the currents around her felt heavy and dark as his tentacles turned a vicious maroon so deep they seemed more black then anything.  
  
“A human.” Sasori repeated, teeth biting deep enough into his cheek that he tasted blood. Truthfully It wouldn’t have mattered if it was another merfolk or even a rock, he would have been furious no matter who it was. His eyes turned back to Sakura, her face tilted up towards the heavens, hands clasped to her chest as if in prayer. ‘Nothing can come of it…’ Not unless she suddenly gained mastery over her transformation and went walking.  
  
Still, it never hurt for one to do their due diligence and that was _exactly_ what Sasori intended to do. 'It might be sheer abuse of power...' But what else was it for, if not pursuing the things one desired? 


	2. Unfortunate Souls

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 100% proof that I can be bribed. Joking, if it were a bribe i would have finished faster. 
> 
> Sayyikes drew it for me and its like one of the most bootiful things ever (♡´艸`)
> 
> You can find them here: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/view/sayyikes
> 
> Sorry this update took so long!

A school of fish shifted, mimicking the clouds that laid beyond them and Sakura watched as they rolled over the reef she sat a good distance from. Days passed but her restlessness only seemed to grow, catching a glimpse of Sasuke from the shallow waters around the coast had proven impossible and she found herself regretting her own lack of foresight. ‘If I had taken just a drop of blood I could have used the mirror to see him…’ Although the image would have been distorted thanks to the crack that marred it Sakura would have been happy enough with it.  
  
It worried her, wondering if they had recovered well or not. ‘The long haired one is still sick.’ Her treatment hadn’t been perfect and now that she had saved their lives Sakura felt responsible for them.   
  
A pair of seahorses were in the midst of their morning promenade and normally she might have cooed at the sight of the couple, but given her current fugue all she could muster was a sigh, watching as they pirouetted. It was _just_ late enough in the day that Sakura was already coping with her ritual of failure and that was a much nicer way to describe what she was actually doing; _sulking_. ‘I shouldn’t hold being happy against them...’ Her complete inability to lock down her transformation was her own fault and no one else's. ‘If I could just figure out where I’m going wrong…’ Sasori’s suggestion of not trying was simply something she had no concept of. ‘Who ever got anything done by doing nothing?’ Certainly not her.  
  
Tapping the comb she’d been fiddling with against her lips thoughtfully, Sakura considered her mistakes. She’d thought that with a better understanding of human physiology transformation would have been easier, but thus far her theory had yet to yield results. ‘And I doubt Naruto knows the difference between a tendon and a tibial.’ Maybe a basic grasp on anatomy had nothing to do with it and she was approaching things all wrong.  
  
“Hey you!” Ino’s voice boomed through her head and in the time it took to blink her vision was full of pale yellow hair and blue eyes. Elbows knocked ribs, scales were scrapped as Ino all but tossed herself on top of Sakura for a cuddle. “You’re so boney.” She complained, cheek squished into a shoulder. “I’ll feed you pastries if you come up and wait by the docks.” Eating raw fish, seaweed and shellfish got boring day after day and sweets were especially hard to come by when legs were required to reach them but such factors had not stopped Sakura from developing what human’s called a sweet-tooth.  
  
Somewhere in the flurry Sakura’s grip on the comb had been lost but as the silt settled around them it came floating back down and into Ino’s sight. “What's this?” She plucked it from its slow downward descent, her first assumption being that Sakura had pilfered it from some shipwreck. Her talents were different from but even she could sense the spell-work undergirding it. “Better yet, where?” She gasped, hand tingling as she flung it back. As far as Ino was concerned she would classify what she felt as a minor curse. The feeling of it lingered like something unwanted scuttling over her skin. ‘And I have little doubt that the longer I held it the worse it would be...’ Her lips curled in disgust as she shook out her hand.  
  
“Sasori gave it to me...” It had been about a week and when Sakura’s thoughts were not on the humans she had saved or working on her lack-of-legs problem she had been considering what the purpose of the comb had been. ‘He obviously didn’t just pick this thing up at random, not with the amount of work he personally put into it…’ To her knowledge she had not done anything particularly pleasing that he would see fit to reward her for--not _recently_ at least, nor did Sakura get the sense that he was up to anything nefarious with the gift.  
  
‘Although I suppose it's not unlike him to simply hate my hair and want to fix it.’ Which in her mind was the likeliest reason, he was after all the type who felt that if he had to look at something it might as well look _nice_. ‘And if he were going to make something, It would be _just_ like Sasori to go to extremes for a challenge and as testament to his skills.’ And to completely perplex her.  
  
“Ah.” Ino said, because in retrospect _that_ answer should have been obvious to her from the start. ‘Of course that one wouldn’t want something he made falling into the wrong hands.’ Especially when it was sentimental in nature. “I wonder why he would do something like that…?” It wasn’t actually a question, more of a leading comment that went right over Sakura’s pink wreathed head.  
  
Arms crossed, Sakura tilted her head up with an indignant huff. “Probably because he couldn’t stand how stupid I looked combing my hair with a fork, thank you _very_ much!” The slap of her fin knocked Ino off the outcropping they’d been resting on.  
  
“Aww but you were so cute!” Ino giggled as she twisted, head peeking over the ledge mischievously. “How could I ruin it for you?” That simple enjoyment was the same reason she was reluctant to give her friend a clue. ‘That and I _really_ do not want to be caught in the mess if things go awry.’ Sasori had a reputation for being down right vindictive in certain circumstances and Ino had no desire to be on the receiving end of his ire. It was best to let the both of them flounder around until one of them broke. 'And given her completely hopeless crush, I'd wager my hair he'll be the one to snap.' If Sasori were a little less astringent, if he weren't a complete eel Ino _might_ have felt bad for him but he was and she _didn't_. “I’ll bring you candy _and_ pastries.” she offered as amends, smiling behind her hand.  
  
Deciding that holding a grudge wasn’t going to put food in her stomach, Sakura eventually agreed after a bit more wheedling and bribery on Ino’s part. The waters became clearer the shallower they were and it was with a sharp a pagne of jealousy that she watched Ino seamlessly split her tail and shokr the water from her hair. It left her feeling self-conscious on more than one front. ‘I’m not boney.’ But she wasn’t as full-figured as Ino and she still couldn’t walk on land even though they were the same age which by her count was doubly unfair.  
  
Ino ran her hands down the length of her body and purple cloth cascaded, swishing around her ankles as it fell. “I’ll meet you in the harbor, there is a ship called Izanagi and an empty dock besides it, head there.” She explained and then sashayed off, feet leaving indents in the sand.  
  
There was no rush considering Ino would take forever, she always did. The marina was busy but as long as she kept her head below water or out of sight Sakura didn’t worry about being spotted. She passed the time head turning this way and that as men rushed about unloading cargo from ships, catching bits and pieces of conversation with eager ears. ‘I could spend all day here…’ She simply found them fascinating, the clothes that they wore, the way that they moved. Even the things that humans said--though much of it went beyond her like whatever a cat was and why it couldn’t change its spots.  
  
Everyone of her kind were taught to read and write the human language of those they resided closest to and the rest could be understood through charms if necessary. Sakura did her best to understand the human world through reading but some things only made sense in context. ‘And it's become perfectly clear I have to take everything I’ve been told with a heavy dose of skepticism.’ Not for the first time she considered shoving Naruto and Ino into a nice comfy bed of sea urchins. ‘And Sai can go right along with them.’ Pity she only had two arms and a tail.  
  
“It's weird walking by here and not seeing Izanami.”  
  
Sakura had been watching men carry big boxes from their ships to shore when she heard the voice. The height of the dock was high enough that she had to grab onto it if she wanted to get a glimpse of the speaker that was walking overhead. It was risky, but she peeped over the ledge just enough to see three familiar faces. ‘It's like fate!’ she thought, giggling to herself. Sasuke was trailing behind the other two, carrying an armload of rolled bundles so tall she wondered if he could even see over them.  
  
“That storm made a mess of things, shipments are coming in late and we’re down our best vessel.” Itachi sighed.  
  
“At least they’re coming in at all, if it hadn’t been for that--” There was a thump and Shisui trailed off after Sasuke kicked him in the back of the knee.  
  
“If you say mermaid, I will throw you into the bay. People are starting to think you’re crazy.” He was only stuck carrying all the charts because he’d lost at drawing straws against his older cousin and that alone made Sasuke want to throw the man into the water. ‘He probably cheated anyways.’  
  
Shisui gasped and pressed a hand against his chest. “I’m not crazy, Itachi saw her...It? Too!”  
  
The sound of her claws tapping on the dock was drowned out by the bustle of activity. ‘I am very much not an it.’ Sakura humphed, narrowing her eyes at Shisui’s back.  
  
Itachi stopped, paused in turning the page of the book he’d been squinting at. “I don’t know what I saw...you know how my eyesight is and we were probably delirious from salt water.” Before the mysterious hair was brought up he continued on. “We were clearly rescued by someone at some point, but as to who? There is no way to say unless they show up, pink hair and all.”  
  
“I’m telling you I saw a tail, a big one! And I’ve never seen one that color in a fish before. Our ship went down miles offshore. How many people do you know who can swim that fast, or women with pink hair?” They had woken up on shore before the men who had escaped on lifeboats had and those men had taken turns rowing all through the night after searching for any stragglers among the debris. Sure it was outlandish but Shisui had never been more sure of something in his life.   
  
Rolling his eyes, Sasuke adjusted his grip. “It could have been a dolphin, or a whale. A seal even.” The coast was full of those and even the harbor had dolphins coming and going thanks to superstitious sailors who liked to toss them fish thinking it would bring good luck, in his opinion all that did was make them a nuisance with their high-pitched chattering. “As for the hair, like Itachi said; we drifted further inland and someone pulled us to shore from there.”  
  
Completely aghast, Sakura’s mouth fell open--to anyone looking she would have seemed quite a bit like a fish sucking in useless air. ‘A whale?!’ She didn’t look anything like a whale, or a dolphin. ‘As if either could have scales like mine.’ Annoyed, her claws dug into the edge of the platform they were standing on. Just as she popped her head high enough that she might have been seen something smacked her in the forehead and with a pitiful squeak Sakura dropped back into the water. Ino’s nervous laughter could be heard in the background.  
  
Sasuke glanced over the edge, brows pinched as he looked into murky waters. “What was that?”  
  
The sticky bread Sakura pried off her forehead fell to pieces between her fingers as it became a soggy mess. ‘Oh…’ It wasn’t so bad, at least now she had a chance to reacquaint herself with his face. ‘Which is still as lovely as I remember…’ The bare facts were that she had a predilection for pretty things which included shining bits of sea glass, exotic baubles and fair forms. If she weren’t so enamored she might have thought to recount all the times she’d gotten herself into trouble in her pursuit of such things.  
  
“Just some seagull, I threw some bread at it and off it went. You know how they are; noisy, greedy things.” Ino fluttered her lashes. The men before her were not bad looking and even Sai, who she was very much involved with was likely to agree from an objective standard. ‘The issue here is that Sakura lost all reason at the sight of that one.’ her eyes focused in on the man glaring at the water like it had insulted his forefathers.  
  
Not for the first time Ino had to wonder why Sakura seemed to completely ignore the good looks of the covetous creature that was actively in pursuit of her for some human who didn’t even know her name. ‘And she nearly reached out and touched thst one before I came along…’ It could have been a disaster for the ages if she had been caught. ‘I haven’t seen her do something this dumb in _forever_.’ Maybe ever.  
  
“Sasuke if you keep staring at the water like that a kraken might reach out and drag you down.” Shisui said, shaking his head. ‘He never liked the ocean much to begin with but almost dying made him twice as sour about it.’ A hard life for someone who lived on an island and had to look out to sea from his castle everyday.  
  
Recognizing the name Ino almost dropped the basket she’d charmed the local humans into filling with sweets and other treats.”Oh, it's you!” Curious, she sidled up to his side, taking in his features from the square jaw and the dark, sloe eyes. “Hello.” By nature she was a flirt and she certainly couldn’t resist teasing Sakura when the water practically boiled around her.  
  
Itachi and Shisui shared a knowing look and sighed in tandem, most women who attempted speaking to Sasuke were often left disappointed if not insulted.  
  
“I’m not interested, get lost.”  
  
A few bubbles floated to the surface and Ino knew Sakura was having a laugh at her expense.  
“You didn’t even look at me!” It was now a point of wounded pride, charm and allure were how she got by. ‘If that stops being effective I’m going to have a problem.’ Her skillset differed from Sakura’s and centered around influencing the thoughts and behaviors of others. ‘Usually it doesn’t take much work to get humans under sway…’ But the greater their will the harder it was and the same could be said of her own kind.  
  
“I don’t need to.” Sasuke replied, turning and walking away. He bumped shoulders with Shisui who was groaning, as if pained by what he witnessed. “Lets go.”  
  
Taking that as an Insult against her looks Ino stomped her foot. “I’ll have you know my partner thinks I’m beautiful!” She shrieked after him. “And most hu--people too!” She’d almost slipped.  
  
Palm pressed against his eyes, Itachi heaved a sigh. “He’s never going to get married.” Which was fine by him but if their mother had her way Sasuke _would_ and he wasn’t sure any of them could escape being dragged along with her whims.  
  
“Forget about that, does he even have friends besides us?” Shisui glanced at the fuming woman who had taken to slapping at the water. “You shouldn’t mind him, you’re quite lovely.” Which she was but he was of the opinion that all women were beautiful in their own way.  
  
Ino paused, lifted her head and sniffed primly. “Yes, I know.” But her cheeks still flushed to hear it. She waited and listened for the sound of their boots thumping against the wooden slats of the dock to grow more distant. When she looked back Sakura’s head had already risen to the surface, following the retreating figures with longing eyes.  
  
As if remembering something, Sakura paused in slicking back the wet hair that clung to her face and instead fiddled with the black coral that now adorned her ears. Gone were the delicate, teardrop bits of opalescent abalone and pearl that Ino was sure had been gifted to her by Sasori, their replacement was something Ino had little doubt he had despised on sight. “Honestly, what are you thinking?” She was stumped on multiple levels, Sakura was usually a _little_ more level headed. “You could have been caught!”  
  
“That was _the_ guy though!” Sakura’s hand was already inside the basket rooting around. It was a non-answer that Ino deemed unacceptable and her hand was slapped away from the goods. “...He said my tail looked like a whale’s.” And then there was the fact that Sasuke refused to even entertain the idea that she existed. ‘Of course I wanted to prove him wrong.’ It had been an impulsive action, she’d never been very good at modulating herself when she was upset. Sneaking her hand back into the treats, Sakura finally managed to come away with something warm and flakey.  
  
A seagull landed on one of the posts nearby, drawn in by the sight of someone with food. The uninvited interloper drew a hiss from Sakura as she clutched the creampuff she was holding to her chest. Unblinking the bird starred in her direction. ‘Just try it, I'll do to you what I did to the last one. You’ll be nothing but a mess of broken bones and feathers so help me...’ Not a single one of those birds would ever get a willing crumb from her. Her teeth sunk into the warmth, a sigh followed the taste of sweet cream filling her mouth.  
  
Ino’s nose wrinkled. “He’s good looking, so what?” Her foot stopped cold in the circle it’d been tracing ontop the water, ripples expanding even when she stilled. “Isn’t Sasori attractive to you at all?” Perhaps it was an ill timed question considering Sakura’s full mouth but it dropped out nonetheless. ‘I mean sure he’s got a bad attitude and an even worse reputation but he’s nice to _her_. Mostly at least.’ He was a horrible tease and didn’t have to work too hard to rile Sakura up. ‘Then again who does?’  
  
There was a wheeze as Sakura inhaled sharply and began to choke mid swallow. After a few worrying moments in which she thought death had come quite early for her the chewed, soggy piece of bread was spat out and the seagull seized its opportunity. In the blink of an eye and the flap of its wings the bird snatched up the mess and took off. “Damn you and all your eggspawn!” Sakura shrieked, shaking a fist at the heavens. She hated those birds and the question too.  
  
“Interesting reaction, care to explain?” Ino, like a shark sensing blood grinned and leaned closer.  
  
“I hate Seagulls.” The screwing up of Ino’s face and her pinched lips was enough for Sakura to know that it was not the answer to the actual query and was also deemed _unacceptable_. “Of course he’s good looking, anyone with eyes can see that! What’s he got to do with anything? Sasuke is just as good looking...” She found that between the bird and the current topic of discussion her appetite had soured which was a shame because the basket was still full.  
  
Comparing the two was a bit difficult for her when they weren’t side by side but Sasori was slimmer, more delicate--at least in feature. ‘And his eyes…’ They could be terribly expressive, the color and hue seemed to shift from one moment to the next. Deciding that her skin felt hot, Sakura sunk low enough that her cheeks were submerged. ‘Sea anemone are pretty but I wouldn’t want to roll around in them, that's just asking to get stung unless you’ve developed an immunity.’ Confused, often annoyed but always impressed, she could not consider herself unaffected by him.  
  
“You really should just put him out of mind.” Ino popped a piece of hard, colorful sugar into her mouth, watching the range of emotions play across her friend’s face. ‘I’m sure she’ll come to the right conclusion eventually.’ It seemed to her that in Sakura’s pursuit of the things that were at present out of her reach she was blind to what she did have. “It's not _all_ perfect up here, there is a reason I make sure to come back to the water at the end of every month.” But then she supposed that every negative was balanced with a positive in some fashion or another.   
  
“I wasn’t thinking about Sasori at all!” Sakura looked appalled as she whipped her face out of the water. “I mean not in a weird way!” The criticism’s Ino had about life above had gone unheard, drowned out by her own thoughts as they often were.  
  
In Ino’s opinion there was an awful lot of fretting going on for thoughts deemed _not weird--_ whatever that constituted. “I actually meant the human.” Draping herself into a lounge, she picked through the basket. “But I am curious to know what you consider weird…”  
  
Sakura might have been a poor liar but she _was_ good at changing the subject. “What's wrong with thinking about the hu--I mean Sasuke?” She corrected herself, he did after all have a name and not using it would be rude.  
  
“It's completely hopeless to start with.” Ino tried to be tactful in what she said next. “A fish could love a bird but where would they live?” There were a thousand tales where it ended badly and only a handful of good examples, getting around the vast discrepancies between their lifespans was not impossible, but it was far from what could be considered an easy undertaking. ‘Even Lady Tsunade never got around to it…’  
  
“That's hardly a reason, I won’t be legless forever!” Or so Sakura hoped, she had no real way of knowing when that time would come. “Someday I’m going to walk out of these waters...”  
  
“ _Someday_ being the keyword in that proclamation.” Ino took no joy in being the voice of reason when it came to their current subject; _Sensitive_ was putting it mildly when it came to Sakura and the topic of land-walking. ‘She’s prone to getting the bends about it and then you’re left feeling like you slapped a dolphin calf. Only a monster would take enjoyment out of that...’ She could already see Sakura’s shoulders squaring up defensively. “By the time you manage it he might be some toothless old man and you'll look about the same as you do now, plus he’s…” She made a hissing noise, teeth looking sharper than before. "You’ll only be disappointed.”  
  
To a clearer head it might have come off as sound advice but Sakura had the unfortunate tendency of jumping to conclusions and her assumption was that Ino doubted she would _ever_ be capable of leaving the water. What pride Sakura had was hard-won and far from safe when it came to the ravages of her own insecurities and all she could hear were her worst fears being spoken by a different voice. That was often the most painful way to hear them. “You’re only saying that because he didn’t think you were anything special.”  
  
Snorting, Ino flicked a star-shaped piece of sugar in her direction, watching as it bounced off Sakura’s forehead and plinked into the harbor water. “He doesn’t think much of you either!” Maybe she was a _little_ sore about being brushed off so easily. “He doesn’t think of you at _all_.” She smirked and rose to her feet. “Face it, you don’t even exist as far as that human is concerned.” Shaking some imaginary dust from her skirts, her hands found their way to her hips as she waited for a rebuttal. “It's not like you’ll be able to go strolling along with him anytime soon but take it from me; Whatever a human can do, cecaelia do it better.” That was probably one of the few things Sasori had going for him beyond his good looks and pedigree. “They’ve got a natural hand up so to speak.” Multiple ones to be exact.  
  
“They walk better than humans?” Sakura had never heard that one before but given the track record her friends had of misconstruing the truth she was wary of the statement. She had never really taken notice of how that subset of her kind moved in comparison to humans but then again she didn’t have a large pool of observation considering she could only watch from afar. ‘But it doesn’t have to stay that way for much longer...’ Temptation had gnawed at her ever since Sasori had made the offer but now it was especially ravenous as Ino stood there in her purple skirts, towing over her from the docks. ’He knows _she’s_ real _._ ’ Which was more than what Sakura had from Sasuke and she’d saved his life.  
  
‘Even my parents are off traveling the lands while I’m stuck here treading water.’ Sakura thought of all she was missing out on while the rest of her friends went frolicking on shore, the way that they teased her with the crumbs they offered--well intentioned as they might be. The mounting curiosity and desperate wanting, getting so close and then suffering the blow of failure each day and just like that the lingering sweetness in her mouth became bitter.  
  
Beyond Ino and the white-sailed ships in the bay, past the sandy shores Sakura could do little more than crawl on there was an entire world and it felt like she was holding her breath with every day that passed. Starving for the newness, made desperate in her need to breach the water, she’d come to her breaking point. She didn’t _have_ to keep needlessly torturing herself because of her own stubborn pride. ’And why should I?’ She tried doing things the correct way, she’d followed every rule and it had gotten her nowhere. Now was the time to do something different. “The next time you see me, I’ll be out of the sea.” There was no going back, it wasn’t a boast but a vow.  
  
“Walking? No! I meant…” A wave slapped over Ino’s legs as Sakura flipped and dove down, tail flinging a spray of droplets over her. “Ah never mind, you’ll figure it out yourself.” She waved a hand flippantly and dumped the soggy mess out of her basket with a pout. “What a waste…” In the flurry a whole colony of seagulls had come flocking as soon as her companion was out of sight and Ino eyed them _almost_ as distastefully as Sakura had.  
  
Just like she’d shaken off the mucky feeling the comb had left her with earlier in the day Ino shrugged off the unsettling sense that her attempt at being _tactful_ had gone completely wrong somewhere along the way. ‘I’ll bring her something back, she’d probably like one of those cute little ceramic cats…’ They came in all sorts of colors and she could get a matching one in purple, she turned and strolled back into town. ‘What trouble could Sakura possibly get into?’ She later wondered, frowning down at bits of pottery when the worry reared again.  
  
Quite a bit as it would turn out because while Ino was debating amongst herself whether the red one or the white one with pink flowers would make the best peace offering, Sakura had already swum through the giant kelp forest that predominated Tsunade’s territory to where the pale white sands began to darken, turning course and rufous. The shift in texture and color was a clear indication that she’d crossed from one boundary to the next.  
  
According to Granny Chiyo, Sasori had taken up residence on the outskirts of his family’s holdings as soon as he was able. “ _It's hard to be a scoundrel and a scalawag when your granny is nagging you to babysit.”_ The old Cecaellia had explained, cackling fondly as Sakura peeked over the rim of her bubbling cauldron years ago. “ _Terrible for his reputation you see.”_ Familial ties made him seem _approachable_ and he certainly couldn’t have that.  
  
Sasori’s domain laid on the margin between the two kingdoms where the waters were warmer, saltier. Down further still Sakura went, flitting through arches and narrow rifts to where the glow of the jellyfish seemed brighter to her eyes than the sun’s distant light. The opening to the complex of caverns Sakura had only traveled a few times before was concealed by the hulking skull of a long dead sea-serpent. It’s jaws alone were wide enough to crush the hull of a good sized ship and one toxic-hued nudibranch clinging to an empty socket stared back at her like an eye.  
  
Sakura’s attention was inevitably drawn back to the yawning maw, ringed with fangs as long as her arms. It was the least welcoming entryway she’d ever seen despite the bright spray of crimson coral and the veiny black sea-fans that flanked the threshold, ‘An octopus garden indeed.’ she thought, slipping through the gap. There was a light further down, casting the chasm an eerie shade of blue. It was at a curtain of billowing sea moss that she stalled, picking at the feathery fronds. ‘Just days ago I told him I wasn’t _that_ desperate…’ Words that Sakura would now have to eat. The real trouble was that when she’d chosen to travel rather than call out to him she hadn’t _once_ thought about what to say, how to ask. ‘But now’s really not the time to be getting cold fins.’  
  
“Girl, haven’t you been told that it's rude to lurk in doorways?” The chidding came as a lazy drawl.  
  
“I’m not lurking.” Sakura insisted, grasping a fistful of vines as she pushed through them.”I was just giving you a chance to notice that I was here...I didn’t want to be rude and barge in.” Perfectly convincing if she said so herself.  
  
Stretched out on his side, Sasori’s chin was laid against the back of his hand, one tentacle coiled around something small and golden as another worked a thin rod into it.“If you were unwelcome you wouldn’t have gotten past the teeth.” There were plenty of foolish, would-be thieves who ended up losing a limb or worse trying to force their way in. There were a surprising number of complete idiots who got it into their heads that trespassing into a notorious sea-sorcerer’s property would be a rewarding experience. ‘Well, it has been _terribly_ enriching for the surrounding creatures.’ It was his opinion that the coral and other lifeforms looked positively _lustrous_ after each incident. Looking pointedly at the way that she strangled a strip of plant between her hands, he was clearly unconvinced. “One would think it offended you somehow and here I thought that you liked herbage of all sorts.”  
  
Sakura _did_ like plants, especially the ones from above. She’d grown up on descriptions and the preserved specimens that her parents had brought back from their travels, they had even named her after a flower--a rather common practice among their kind. ‘Even Sasori was named after some land lobster.’ The problem was that the flora she favored didn’t keep well under the sea. ‘Not without quite a bit of work. You have to put them in bubbles and make sure they get enough sun and then filter the salt from the water you give them…’ So Sakura only had one spiky aloe and a shrub that periodically sprouted fragrant white blossoms that she liked to pluck off and rub against, they were sat on the uppermost shelf of her grotto where they could get the most of the light. “It seemed like it was in need of a good pruning.” She glanced at one of the ingredient laden nooks that had been carved into the walls, admiring the selection of plants and wondering how he kept them so well tended in the depths.  
  
“You’ve traveled an awfully long way just to do a bit of gardening for me.” Sasori’s eyes were inevitably drawn to the polished black beads that now dripped from her ears. ‘Distasteful.’ One of the gears he’d been aligning popped out and would have floated off if it had not been for his quick reflexes. ‘Absolutely unsuitable, they do _nothing_ for her aesthetically.’ And on principle he despised what they were purported to represent. “Or perhaps there is another reason you came all this way?” Sakura stripped every leaf bare before looking at him, confirming what he’d already assumed. “Ah, lets see...perhaps it has something to do with those humans.” The gear was pressed back into place.  
  
“You know about it?” Sakura supposed she shouldn’t be so surprised that he did, given how well informed Sasori tended to be but she was a bit startled that he’d heard of it so quickly. “Word really does travel fast…” She looked up to the ceiling as the plants concealing an outlet swayed, shadows playing across the floor.  
  
Letting go of his finished project, the watch bobbed for a moment or two before sinking to rest among the dark sands of his den. “But of course.” He’d have a use for it later if things went how he assumed they would. “You’ll find it’s hard to keep a secret when all your friends are loudmouths.” A feature that had been to his advantage on more than one occasion. Rising from the hollow, sponge lined shell he’d been reclining in, Sasori gathered the tools he’d left behind with the swipe of a spare limb.  
  
Sakura opened her mouth to refute it but then promptly shut it. ‘You can’t argue with the truth and in all honesty sometimes I’m not _much_ better...’ Though in her opinion she was the _least_ likely out of the three of them to talk about someone else's business. ‘Sure, I do like to _hear_ gossip, who doesn’t? But that does not mean I _start_ rumors.’ Or that she liked to be the subject of them.  
  
In the time that it took for her to blink, he’d left her line of sight. A shift in the lighting and the sound of grating stones drew her attention to the center of the cavern where a cauldron was rising from the sands, the glow from within it glew brighter as the edges unfurled. As Sakura turned to question what he was up to she caught a glimpse of a familiar face in the vapors spilling out and did a double take. The rim was warm to the touch and she pressed her cheek against it with a sigh, gazing at the image within. "How did you find the right one?" Knowing that there were humans involved was one thing but knowing the specific one _was_ impressive. ‘Ah, but that's just like him, If you want to know something Sasori is just the one to ask.’ she settled there with her tail folded beneath her.

"I have my sources." If she had cared to spare him a glance, Sakura might have seen the look of contempt he threw into the cauldron and the faint flash of Sasori's teeth as they silently grit. "But I fail to see the appeal. He looks like the kind who’ll get fat as he ages which won’t take too long considering he’s got the lifespan of a mayfly.” He picked imaginary silt from beneath a talon. She _finally_ graced him with a scowl which Sasori infinitely preferred to the moon eyes she’d been giving to someone else right in front of him.  
  
"Don’t say that! It's not like you even have a type." At least she didn’t think that he did. ‘I mean I’ve never really seen him look at anyone.’ And Sakura distinctly recalled Granny Chiyo telling her that Sasori had always done his very best to drive anyone with those sorts of notions as far away from him as he could. ‘Which apparently includes at least one incident involving a lionfish.’  
  


"Not in the least." Sasori agreed because he _didn't._ Rather than a type what he had was a very specific person who happened to be stretching his patience to its extremes. “And you hardly know the man, it seems a bit premature to make that claim.” She didn’t know the human at all but he _did_ know Sakura was obstinate and that the more he insisted her feelings were wrong the more stubborn she’d become in her beliefs. ‘When she says type, does she mean utterly boring?’ Because that was all he could see in the man’s bland coloring.  
  
Sakura’s gaze softened as she glanced up at him, nibbling away at her bottom lip as she often did when worrying. “That's right, I don’t and I _won’t_ unless I can get onto land.” She looked from the cauldron and then back to him, green eyes peering through the curtain of her hair. “You...You’re the only one who can make it happen." Sasori's face was still as his head canted to the side and with no way to gauge his mindset Sakura was left to ramble on. "You said that you could..."  
  
All of her hopes were on him, her dreams were his to crush if he so chose. ‘How fortunate for the both of us that I always consider my actions carefully.’ Sasori was not an impulsive creature by any means. If he _had_ been prone to emotional outbursts a certain coastal capital would have been sunk beneath the sea. ‘Rather than that a good plague would have done wonders for my mood.’ He sighed, because as much as he would have relished that he had already rejected the idea of doing the human any direct, _lethal_ harm. For the time being at least. ‘She’d never forgive it if she ever found out that I was responsible for it.’ And that was a risk he simply wasn’t willing to take given how often Sakura defied his expectations.  
  
Tsking to himself Sasori had to acknowledge that the timing could not have been worse. ‘Getting her head turned the very same day I've offered my services...’ If he had foreseen such a thing he would have kept his silence on the subject. ‘But there is no taking it back now and if I refuse she’ll hold that against me too.’ Which meant he had to adapt to the situation as it was. There was just one thing he needed to know. “Do you love him?” Everything that happened next hinged on her reply.  
  
The sudden question seemed to perplex Sakura, the space between her brows pinched and she craned her head back to look at the illusion on display; within it Sasuke was poised with a sword in hand and circling some unseen opponent. Confident, handsome and brave. They were qualities that she admired and she was unquestionably curious about him and the land he came from but even she had to acknowledge a fundamental fact. “It's hard to love someone who's never seen your face...Or said a word to you, but that could change soon enough.” She began to turn pink and hid her face in the crook of her arm with a giggle. “I did give him my first kiss.” It may have only been because he was drowning but it was still the most bawdy thing Sakura had ever done.  
  
“I believe you _just_ said that he didn’t see you…” Or rather she’d implied it, but the crimson mottling that had given color to otherwise inky tentacles began a slow creep into something darker until there was nothing but black. The space between the two of them was spanned abruptly enough that Sakura ceased laughing and tore her face from the arm it’d been burrowed within.  
  
“He didn’t. It happened while he was drowning.” If he were that upset about the thought of Sasuke seeing her Sakura decided she would not mention that she’d been... _impatient_ enough to almost reach out and touch him earlier in the day.  
  
The nebulous shifting ceased. “Ah.” Sasori would _hardly_ call that kissing and there _were_ worse things to hear despite his lingering displeasure. He had _plenty_ of room to work with given what she’d said. ‘Hard to love someone you’ve never spoken to is it?’ _Yes_ , he supposed it was.  
  
Anxiously Sakura pulled herself up and tapped a finger against the labyrinthine lines that scrawled his arm from wrist to shoulder. “So can you?” She never could figure out where they began nor where they ended and had decided they were likely purposely confusing. ‘It could very well be that they’re never the same for that matter.’ Her eyes narrowed in on the track that whirled over his bicep suspiciously, wondering if it had moved.  
  
“It is not a question of ability, it's a matter of _will_.” Sasori corrected. “Mostly of yours.”  
  
Maybe the lines hadn’t changed and it was just the subtle shift of muscle beneath skin that had tricked Sakura. “Of course I’m willing! I’m here aren’t I?”  
  
“You don’t know the conditions yet.”   
  
The feel of tentacles skittering about her tail made her gasp and Sakura jerked her attention away from the arm she had most certainly not been ogling. ‘I’d almost forgotten about that...’ It occurred to her then that the last time those appendages of his had been so close they’d been rather cheeky and she turned pink as the sleek sides turned so the suckers could grasp and pull, manipulating her stance until her rump was pressed into the rim of the cauldron. One lingered, slithering over the curved portion of tail that she soon hoped would become knees. “C-conditions?” Sakura echoed, wide eyed. Her insides did a weird fluttering, like she had a stomach full of krill as Sasori bent closer.  
  
"Or the cost for that matter...surely you didn't expect to get something for nothing?" His fingers caught her by the chin, thumb caressing the soft space below her ear. “That would hardly be fair...” It wasn’t lost on Sasori how she leaned into his hand, even if Sakura didn’t seem to notice. “I could make you human for three days but--” He didn’t get a chance to finish, Sakura’s reactive nature began to rear its head.  
  
Possessing the tendency of speaking with her hands, Sakura’s began flopping all over the place at a furious pace. “Three days?! Is that the best you can do? _How_ am I supposed to figure out if I love him in _three_ days? And what if it turns out that I do? You can’t expect me to just leave…” And she would have worked herself into a further furor if not for the finger shushing her.  
  
“Three days, 30 years servitude. Three months, 300 years.” It didn’t matter which she chose or if she chose neither, Sasori intended to benefit one way or the other.  
  
“That's like, price gouging!” Not to mention inflation and even if it was far from the worst thing he’d ever done it still managed to shock Sakura’s sensibilities.  
  
Smirking, Sasori gestured towards the exit. “You’re welcome to search for a more competitive offer but you know what they say; _Better the devil you know_. “  
  
“ _Devil_ seems like an accurate way to refer to you.” Sakura entertained the idea of biting the hand patting at her cheek but decided that would be an awful method of negotiating a deal. “I suppose it could be worse, you could have asked for my first born child.”  
  
A sly smile began at the corner of his mouth, finding delight at the sarcastic suggestion that hit closer to home than she knew. “If you're offering...” Sasori quipped.  
  
“Certainly not!” Sakura wasn’t sure what he’d do with said child even if he _were_ serious. “Who even does that? ...300 hundred years isn’t _that_ long…” But she knew for certain three days was hardly enough time to make any major life decisions. ”What exactly would I be doing during my _servitude_?” She wrinkled her nose.  
  
Sasori’s shoulders rolled into a lazy, careless shrug. “This and that.” he replied enigmatically. “Nothing too arduous. I can even _promise_ that you won’t have to do anything _you_ would find morally objectionable.” Given his own loose ethics he figured the distinction was necessary.  
  
“My, how _magnanimous_ you are and detailed too!” Sakura gasped theatrically. ‘Well, detailed, for sure. At least _usually._ ’ Except he seemed rather reticent on his plans for her at the present time.  
  
“Exceedingly.” And on both counts. In his opinion there were not many people who would be willing to do _anything_ that might aid the one they adored in their pursuit of someone else. ‘Perhaps _charitable_ isn’t the right word for it since I plan on sabotaging all her efforts. ‘ But he _was_ generous enough to put her on land which had to count for something. “I’ve practically been a saint as of late.” If only she knew.  
  
It was said with such gravitas that Sakura had to bite back laughter as she gave an unconvinced “Uhuh,” In reply. “You haven’t given me an answer to the second part of my question; what If I _do_ love him?”  
  
“I’d consider you a poor, unfortunate soul if that turned out to be the case.” Sasori swiped a hand through the vapor and cut through the image, colors mixing and distorting as they poured through his grasping claws. Being _decent_ was much harder than it appeared. There _were_ ways to equalize the differences of time but they involved what Sakura would no doubt consider _unpalatable_ methods and he would play no part in shortening the long years she had before her. “There are some things even I won’t do for you, such as aiding you into an early grave.” Her current request was hard enough to fulfill.  
  
Sakura hadn’t really considered the ramifications of such a request and she was filled with a sense of shame, eyes darting away. Shoulders slumping, she heaved a sigh. “That would be a lot to ask of you.” she admitted, scratching at a small, stray scale on her forearm. “And unfair too.” Especially when there were so few people he allowed in his life. “And I...I don’t even know if that's what I really want.” In the end, that was the trouble of it all. Sakura didn’t know _what_ she wanted, only that she wanted more than what she had.  
  
“There is another way...” The tentacle that had been sedately stroking over her lap like a squirmy sort of pet looped around the crook of her fin, tightening as it went. “You’ll have until the sunset that follows the 3rd full moon to get a kiss of true love…” Sasori found it difficult not to sneer the words. “ _If_ you succeed in _that_ you’ll stay and appear to age like a human for so long as _he_ _lives._ ” It was an end that would never come to fruition if he had his way but he always made sure to leave himself a loophole.  
  
A fair compromise, it wasn’t perfect but it was _something_. ‘It's more than some get.’ Sakura thought, nodding to herself as she came to a decision. If she were meant to be with Sasuke she _would_ be, but if not…’Then I still have three whole months on land.’ Whatever came after was something to consider later.  
  
Taking a moment to enjoy the smooth scales gliding beneath his stroking appendage, Sasori delighted at the faint floral taste that always seemed to cut through the salt. “Ah, one more thing...” He said, as if suddenly remembering something. “We haven’t discussed the subject of collateral.”  
  
“You want a down payment too? Why don’t you just ask for one of my arms?! ” Sakura angrily gestured at her right one. ‘It’ll be a wonder if I have anything left after all this…’  
  
“Don’t be so melodramatic, I have plenty of those.” Sasori interjected and as if to prove a point, another tentacle traced the translucent edge of her tail teasingly. If the offer had been of a _hand_ it might have been another story. “It’s only your voice.”  
  
Stunned, her lips were slow to part. “But...how am I supposed to make him love me If I can’t…” Sakura pressed a hand to the column of her throat, she could hardly imagine what it would be like without the ability to speak. ‘Or anything else…’ There would be no singing, no humming, _nothing_.  
  
“Life is _full_ of tough choices.” Sasori cooed, guiding her focus back to him with the push of a finger at her chin. “You’ll have your looks, your pretty face.” he stroked the curve of her cheek fondly, watching as they bloomed red. “And the men up there, _especially_ the nobility don't like _opinionated_ women. It might even be a boon for you.” She’d sealed the price with her own words. ‘And it's not as if I’m lying.’ Not completely at least. “Under no circumstances are you to tell _anyone_ what you are. No miming, no writing it.” For her own safety and theirs too.  
  
Sai referred to her as a hag, Naruto used to say that she was _cute_ and earlier Ino had said the same thing. ‘Lots of things are cute like sea otters, ’ Which were absolutely adorable with the way they held hands or wrapped their babies up in kelp so they didn’t go floating off. ‘Or those little octopuses with the flappy head fins.’ But pretty was a different category. “Do you think so?” It may have been an awful time to fish for compliments but who knew when she would get another opportunity. ‘And Sasori is picky about how things look...and just about _everything_ really.’ But the idea that he might have said it just to convince her that she'd be fine crossed her mind and Sakura found herself looking at his face nervously, searching for a clue that he was lying.  
  
A moment passed and then Sasori graced her with that slow, inscrutable blink he tended to give when he thought things over. She’d yet to decide if it meant he was lying or simply thinking things through before he answered--perhaps even both but none of the options made Sakura feel particularly good. ‘I shouldn’t care so much about his opinion.’ And yet there she was waiting, practically holding her breath over it.  
  
In reality Sasori was just wondering if she’d ever bothered to look in a mirror and if he should have crafted one to go with the comb. “Well…” He began, leaning closer under the guise of scrutinizing her features, near enough to count every miniscule scale dusted over her face like far away stars. His thumb swiped over them, trailing a path from cheek, to lip and chin. “You are more than pleasing to the eye.” He’d looked a thousand times and his opinion had not changed but Sakura practically glowed at the praise. “If he can’t learn to understand you without words, then love is out of the question.” Collecting the watch he’d left behind, it dropped and swayed from its chain, the open cover revealing frozen hands pointing into blank space. “You know the terms, _now_ is the time to make a choice.”  
  
For a moment Sakura had honestly forgotten what she’d come for, heart at a giddy pace. The flecks of gold ringing his pupils were memorizing. ‘It was only for a second but...’ The reflection of herself there within had looked almost yearning and she found herself swallowing in nervous reflex. “Oh, right! Yea.” It lacked the enthusiasm she’d felt before seeing him. ‘Some distance from... _this_ can only be to my benefit.’ Preferably before she did something stupid. ‘Or think something I can’t unthink.’ And that could be just as dangerous. ‘This is all Ino’s fault.’ She decided, looking at the hand Sasori had stuck out expectantly.  
  
“Despite how it looks I really _don’t_ have all day.” There were plenty of things he could be doing in preparation for later but the moment skittish fingers grazed his own he paused, considered how small her digits were compared to his and then turned her hand over palm up. Sakura was just pale enough that the faint lacing of veins beneath her skin could be seen, he traced them tenderly and then dug the claw of his thumb into her heart-line, cutting all the way across it. Her body went stiff and she made a noise of discontent but refrained from struggling away as he did his work.  
  
Nursing her wounded hand, Sakura pouted and looked quite betrayed until she saw him do the same to his own with far less fuss. The blood which in normal circumstances would have diffused into the water was drawn into the watch, forming three red circles on the face. “Blood is always best for iron-clad contracts.” Sasori said as he turned the device over his knuckles.  
  
It was an awful pinch at her hip that finally made her gasp as he pried up a perfectly healthy scale and plunked it into the vat after a moment of scrutiny. “If you make another word play like that I’ll have to introduce you to my father.” Sakura grumbled, running a finger over the cut he’d left behind. It was slow to knit shut, healing herself always took more effort for some backwards reason. There was a brief pull as his tentacles stopped swarming over and around her tail, then temperature dropped and the absence of them left her colder than before.  
  
Sasori was on the move, tentacles grabbing magic-spun bubbles and baubles as he passed the shelves. Into the cauldron they were tossed and she noted a few of the ingredients as they went sailing overhead; The pallid tongue from some unknown beast, a chimera’s lung, a sprinkling of the Grains of Paradise, Lady’s Slipper and Protea heads.“I’ll look forward to it.” he said and paused, prodding a finger at the coronal of a human skull.  
  
‘Where did that come from? And If he puts it in there….’ Her eyes darted into the dark, bubbling vat. ‘I just hoped I don’t have to _drink_ this.’ Thankfully Sasori shook his head as if dismissing its addition and instead dropped what looked like a supple piece of vellum into the brew, exposing the red crescent carved into his palm as he did. “Give me.” She wiggled her fingers at him only to get tapped on the nose.  
  
“Wait,” Sasori’s hand disappeared into the cauldron and he gave it a brisk stir. The contents began to react, discharging light and enough force to make her hair flutter turbulently through her field of vision. Warm water drifted up and when he pulled his hand from the glowing concoction, nacreous ooze dripped from his fingers. Thicker and heavier than water it slopped back down as he shook it off.  
  
Task completed he allowed her to mind the wound, It seemed a silly concern for Sakura to have when he’d given it to himself. 'A Completely unnecessary act,' Sasori admitted privately. ‘But not pointless per say.’ The point was that he _liked_ how it felt, her magic seeping through him beyond skin and bone and into the smallest particles. Uninvasive, like it was meant to be there. It also made him the center of her attention if only for a short span of time.  
  
Studying the sheen that had been caught in the edges of the wound, Sakura bit at her lip. “Am I going to have to put that stuff in my mouth?” It looked pretty enough with its shimmering color but she had very little desire to taste it.  
  
“I would not recommend that.” Especially considering it had been made with human skin. ‘Better to leave it unmentioned...’ He couldn’t recall if it had been ethically sourced or otherwise. “Consider it more of a...topical solution.” A conduit to make the transformation easier. “There is just _one_ thing left.””  
  
Sakura nodded knowingly. “My voice.” When she went to ask how he planned to collect such an intangible payment her words were muffled by the hard press of his lips. Her heart twitched and then became a deafening sound, thoughts fraying. Long, elegant fingers threaded through her hair fisted and yanked, forcing her head back. Unsure and confused, her mouth parted in a gasping squeak and she clung to the hand she’d been studying seconds ago, fingers interlocking his as they sought purpose. Tongues serried as he pressed his over her own boldly, pursuant without haste as if searching for something. It was nothing like the kiss she’d given Sasuke--or _any_ one before it. Her lap was flooded with silken caresses, the languid strokes stirred a nascent ache that trickled down her spine and settled within the cradle of her hips.  
  
The grip on her hair loosened, less oppressive as his palm slid over her back. His tongue, as if to taunt her trekked over sharp teeth and then retreated. Sakura, heady like the time she’d drunk from the bottle of stinging liquid Tsunade enjoyed, caught herself chasing him in the wake, empty handed once more. ‘Wait.’ Rational thought piped somewhere in the recesses of her mind and she stopped, brow scrunched, face burning. “What the hell?!” Was what she meant to say, but the words didn’t come. Her lips moved soundlessly and she looked wide eyed from the hand she’d pressed to her chest in shock and then to Sasori.  
  
Coyly glancing at her from the corner of his eyes, something green and vaporous like smoke spilled from his lips and into the watch. “My, you look like something’s caught you by the tongue.” He didn’t think it was possible but she somehow managed to turn an even darker shade. ‘And I thought that color changing was a Cecaelia trait..’ He didn’t bother to disguise the amused chuckle.  
  
‘It’s not funny!’ Sakura pinched at one of the tentacles still in her lap and watched as it squiggled away, properly chastised. If the main part of him was bothered, Sasori didn’t show it much to her annoyance and she found herself shaking a fist at him, lips forming unsayable words. ‘You can’t just kiss people and...and…’ Well, she didn’t get to finish that thought because the tentacle she’d pinched came back for revenge and pitched her over the ledge and into the cauldron. The substance within had been steadily effervescing ever since Sasori had given it a stir and it puffed and domed around her.  
  
The walls were pliant and sticky but there was no popping when she pressed a sharp finger against the surface, only a ripple of prismatic color and the distorted world beyond it. Threads dense with magic began to crack over the sphere, pulsing red and blue. Sakura’s scale’s tingled and began to rise and flake--it itched but her arms failed to comply when she wanted to scratch at them. ‘No.’ She soon realized that it was her whole body that had been rendered immobile and then there was a jolt, like swimming too close to where lightning struck the ocean’s surface that made her arch and flop uncontrollably. Reality became a blur of color and movement, her mind awash with half formed thoughts.  
  
Somewhere beyond the fuzz a clock gave its first tick under watchful, topaz eyes.  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was meant to be longer, there was a particular scene I really wanted to get to but at ten thousand words and 20+ pages you just gotta call it. 
> 
> Going on land the first time is basically a mermaid Rumspringa, which is when Amish teens/young adults go party/have a coming of age moment. 
> 
> Sakura: Haha why don't you just ask for my first born as payment.  
> Sasori: Yes.  
> Sakura: Why don't you just ask for my hand?  
> Sasori: Also yes.  
> Sakura: I'll introduce you to my dad.  
> Sasori: Soon I hope. 
> 
> Just not in the way that she's offering. 
> 
> I can’t tell if it's because I’m sleep deprived or because it's actually funny but [...Taking a moment to enjoy the smooth scales gliding beneath his stroking appendage...] re-read over that in editing and just about choked. Sometimes you write something dirty by complete accident...Although I seem to do it alot. 
> 
> If you’re reading this and you’re like “It's not as good as the first chapter.” You can blame that on my brain trying to convince me I’ve evolved past the need for sleep. (I haven’t.) Intermittent Insomnia is my new best friend and by friend I mean mortal enemy. I do weird things, sleepwalking now seems to one one of them. The one “Benefit” of this is that I have better dream recall since I’m waking up abruptly, right in the middle of them. 
> 
> Had a dream in which Sasori was my therapist and it was basically him threatening to peel my face off. (Even in my dreams Sasori is mean to everyone who’s not Sakura lol.) Would not recommend his services. Also had a dream in which Sakura was a witch getting over her failed marriage and she was moping around so much it pissed Tsunade off badly enough that she was like “Here go negotiate with this coven in Suna and just like gtf out of my face. I love you but srsly, your husband was a loser you should be happy NOW GET OUT.” 
> 
> After some bantz Sasori is like “This is what I’ve been missing.” but Sakura is too busy angsting over her divorce lmao. 
> 
> -cough- yea that might be another inc story someday. There is a list somewhere and it’s more than 12….
> 
> I have a “process” when it comes to writing and I pretty much shut everything down, I don’t read other fics while I’m working on a chapter so I don’t feel like I’ve been influenced somehow and I try to refrain from other distractions. I basically have to power through things or they never get done, so the fact that this took so long was really demoralizing for me. Writing is fun but reading is less stressful. Now I’m free and can go do that \o/ ...for like a day before I start on the next thing or sooner since I am behind my imaginary schedule. 
> 
> Sorry to FirethatFox because like the entire time I was writing this all I did was whine and complain “I CAN’T SLEEP, I’M STARING AT WALLS I, FORGOT HOW TO USE COMMAS, FALLING ASLEEP AT 5PM AND WAKING UP AT 9PM. I think I want to just disappear into the woods and not come back lol.” So just be glad you were not them because you would have had like, a month of complaints.
> 
> A second wave of edits will probably come out tomorrow. 
> 
> P.S: Its Sea otter awareness week and I’m here with some facts!
> 
> 1\. They are the most adorable of sea critters. 2. They are endangered :c 3. Sea otters eat urchins and other invertebrates that eat kelp forests and those are important. 4 they have the densest fur of any mammal. 5. They spend about 10% of their day grooming that fur--more if it's a mom with a pup and she’s got 2 coats to fluff.
> 
> P.S.S: There is now a Sasosaku discord, if you didn't know before now you dooo~

**Author's Note:**

> Me: No more new fics till i finish one of these other ones.  
> Also me: Okay Sasosaku but Little Mermaid style and Sasori is the sea sorcerer and its aaaall messed up.
> 
> Lmao I believe when I talked about it to FireThatFox I said “Sasori as Ursula and it will be the weirdest thing I will probably ever write. I don’t want to think about their biology...No wait it's too late I’m thinking about it.” I put way more thought into their anatomy and whatnot then I should have...
> 
> Byssus silk is real and it is made of sea mollusk fiber, Its very rare and very expensive. Octopi can taste through their suckers. Think about that.
> 
> You guys are going to hate me so much in the coming weeks...


End file.
